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The progress and interim results of the New York State Energy Research and Development Authority's Flexible Fuel Vehicle (FFV) demonstration program are reported. Four FFVs have been operated for a total of more than 150,000 miles. Two FFVs were operated for 50,000 miles on gasoline and have switched over to using M85. The other two vehicles have been primarily using MB5. The FFVs were tested for exhaust emissions on a chassis dynamometer over the FTP, HFET and NYCC driving schedules. The vehicles were fueled with gasoline, M85 and in one test M60. In a series of tests they were also evaluated using inactive catalysts to measure catalyst effectiveness and deterioration. Results for the dependency of emissions on fuel composition, mileage and driving schedule are presented. In general, emissions decreased with increasing methanol content and increased with mileage.

A 1979 8V-71 model DDC two-stroke diesel transit bus engine was tested using ignition-improved methanol and ethanol. The testing was conducted using the Environmental Protection Agency heavy duty engine transient test procedure. The methanol and ethanol fuels were found to have very similar combustion characteristics and required the same percentage of ignition improver (7.5 volume percent) to obtain similar peak cylinder pressures and rates of pressure rise as were observed using diesel fuel. Emissions increased rapidly as the percentage of ignition improver was reduced below the optimum determined. Ignition-improved methanol and ethanol can greatly reduce fuel-produced particulate emissions with the trade-off of a small increase in total unburned fuel emissions. Carbon monoxide emissions were found to be dependent on stoichiometry only and not fuel type.